Is your drinking water really safe?
Some people protested publicly and made claims that fluoride “causes Alzheimer’s” and “lowers IQ”. On one hand there are claims that these people are conspiracy theorists and are incorrect and misinformed. Is this all there is to it?
The National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences said in 2006, “Fluorides also increase the production of free radicals in the brain through several different biological pathways. These changes have a bearing on the possibility that fluorides act to increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease… Studies of populations exposed to different concentrations of fluoride should be undertaken to evaluate neurochemical changes that may be associated with dementia” and that “The possibility has been raised by the studies conducted in China that fluoride can lower intellectual abilities.”
A recent lead author of a meta-analysis, which was conducted by Harvard University maintains : “Fluoride seems to fit in with lead, mercury, and other poisons that cause chemical brain drain.”
The National Research Council has raised a ‘red flag’ in the aforementioned categories.
While the NRC report (2006) only looked at the concentration range of 2-4mg/L, which some say renders it irrelevant to artificial fluoridation. Well, firstly, this is not true, as explained by one of the expert Panelists of the report, Dr. Hardy Limeback, BSc, DDS, PhD. Secondly, this range does not account for the intertwined issues of ‘margin of safety’ and ‘dose’ (as opposed to concentration).
And thirdly, in relation to I.Q., international studies that show ‘red flags’ have not been properly replicated in fluoridating countries, so data needed to fully explore this matter is lacking. As the NRC panel pointed out, “studies of populations exposed to different concentrations of fluoride in drinking water should include measurements of reasoning ability, problem solving, IQ, and short-and long-term memory. Care should be taken to ensure that proper testing methods are used, that all sources of exposure to fluoride are assessed, and that comparison populations have similar cultures and socioeconomic status.”
Where are these studies? They have not been done, nor have the dementia studies. How many randomized controlled trials on the effects of fluoridation did the University of York find in 2000? Ans: None
Be well
Dr Sundardas D. Annamalay